Page 19 of Loki
Even though the terror remained in her eyes, she ran into the tree line in the direction where the road was supposed to be. Ion the other hand went in a different direction—along the bank of the murky water until I reached the tree line in the opposite direction of her. They’d either split up, some chasing her, the others chasing me, or they’d only come after one of us. And if they did the latter, I hoped they would come after me and not her.
Darkness engulfed me along with a loneliness I hadn’t felt in a long time. I was in this thing by myself again. I hated to separate from Lila, but it was the only way for us to survive. If I didn’t make it at least I gave her the opportunity to escape.
At least I hoped she did.
I jumped over a fallen tree, and even before my feet could land back on the soil, something strong hit me in the side, knocking me to the ground. All the air escaped from my lungs, and I couldn’t breathe as pain ricocheted across my entire body. However, I didn’t have time to dwell on any of it before the back of my head hurt so bad I saw white spots in the back of my eyes.
“Bitch!” someone shouted from behind me. And before I could do anything another wave of pain hit me against the side of my head, then spread over my entire body.
“Help!” I called out into the darkness even though I knew there would be no one to save me. “Please…help me!”
“No one’s gonna help you, bitch,” he sneered.
He punched me so hard that everything went dark.
Chapter Seven
Joshua “Loki” Ledet
The sound of theballs on the pool table colliding and the brothers’ laughter reverberated through the clubhouse. Today, as the minutes passed, the brothers would arrive one by one, responding to my call to Church so we could discuss the disappearance of Monica and her little sister.
However, right now there was hardly anyone here, and the deafening voices of the demons inside my head were going non-stop. They had been since Monica’s disappearance. At this very instant, their taunting words pierced through me, reminding me of how much of I failure I was because I couldn’t keep Monica safe. Usually, I could use her as a distraction from the alcohol, but now she was gone. And I had to fight to not take a drink because that was the only thing that silenced them.
Monica still hadn’t shown up for work or returned home and guilt was all I could feel. There was more that I should have done for her, and I would never forgive myself for letting her down. Either she was dead, or she had suffered the same fate as her sister. And I wasn’t quite sure which one was worse.
I flipped my sobriety coin across my knuckles, trying to gather my thoughts on what to do next. While Monica wasn’t around, I promised her I’d get her sister back. I’d live up to that promise whether Monica was alive or dead. But we needed a solid plan to end this shit after we got Lila back.If we got her back. And who the hell knew, it might end up being a rescue of not only her sister but Monica too.
At least I hoped so.
I groaned at the sound of my cellphone. I didn’t want to fucking talk to anyone. I had too much on my plate to deal with anybody and their bullshit right now.
As I grabbed my phone from the bar top to send the call to voicemail, a smile instantly spread across my face seeing my brother’s name.
Johnathan was always busy and so was I, but we always talked whenever we could. Since he established his law practice in California, he managed the Oakland chapter’s legal affairs, and it had been a while since we saw each other in person.
“What’s up little bro?” I asked as I slid off the barstool and headed towards my office. “It’s been a while.”
He let out a deep sigh. “I know bro, but you know how work goes. It’s always a non-stop shit show dealing with the rich and powerful.”
“That’s for fucking sure. So, what’s up?”
“I have a client who needs some assistance,” he said. “I couldn’t think of anyone else to call.”
As I closed the door to my office, my brows knitted together in confusion. My brother had never called me for help for himself, let alone help for a client. He was good at his job, definitely helped the Sinners out of some serious shit multiple times. I didn’t know what kind of help I could be. He was the one with the law license.
“What do you need?” I asked, dropping in my chair behind my desk.
He took a deep breath and released it. “His wife’s friend is missing.”
More confusion swirled inside me. “Okay. I’m still not understanding what that has to do with me, Johnathan. A lot of people go missing, little bro.”
“Apparently, she’s a journalist, and she was going down there to chase a lead on a story. A dangerous story from what the wife has said. They haven’t heard from her. I don’t know the details or her name, but I’m going to give him your number, so expect his call.”
“I assume this story may have gotten her into some deep shit and they don’t want the cops involved.”
“Exactly. His woman just wants answers and some help to find her.”
I let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I’m already dealing with some shit, little bro. I don’t know if I’ll have the time to chase down this woman. They don’t even know if she’s actually missing.”
